A blink of an eye, and a new day had begun.
Wayland stood in the center of the student plaza.
After spending almost the entire first day of recruitment week wandering between booths, his interest had begun to wane. While the cabals changed their promotional displays daily, Wayland was far more focused on completing Branch Quest 5: Basic Mastery.
"Starfall!"
Wayland spread his palm, his prana manifesting instantly in the air to form a standard ritual circle.
The circle rotated slowly.
Somewhere in the sky, a flash of light flickered briefly--like a distant, brilliant point of starlight on a summer night.
Though inconspicuous in the full glare of daylight, it moved with the speed of a laser, trailing a faint elemental ripple as it pierced through the practice dummy before him.
'The power of a Level 1 Starfall really is nothing to write home about, but the speed is decent.'
Wayland mentally cycled through a few ideas for using it in a surprise attack before lowering his arm.
Starfall was a fundamental spell of the Astronomy Department; despite the grand name, it was only a Level 1 technique.
In Rail Zeppelin, the young Director Olga Marie had once demonstrated true Astronomy magecraft--a breathtaking, magnificent display where a sky full of stars rained down like a world-ending curse.
Wayland could only dream of such things; as a student outside the Astronomy Department, it was nearly impossible for him to learn those higher-level spells.
"Irigal, time to work."
["I'm here! Congratulations, Master, on completing Branch Quest 5: Basic Mastery. Would you like to claim your reward now?"]
"Claim it."
["Understood. Please be careful."]
"Wait, wha--"
A massive surge of information suddenly flooded his consciousness. Unlike the experience with Gandr, this time it was accompanied by a violent wave of vertigo. It felt as if he'd been forced into a high-speed chase for two hours while severely intoxicated; his stomach churned, his mind short-circuited, and his face took on a vacant, dazed expression.
[Warning: Excessive knowledge gain in progress!]
[No, wait... make that magecraft knowledge!]
Wayland clutched his mouth and dry-heaved several times. He collapsed onto the ground, propping himself up with one hand, but the world continued to spin.
"Irigal! You... hic... why didn't you... hic... warn me?"
["I did warn you!"]
"..."
'Dog of a system... I'm going to end up dead because of you.'
He rested for several minutes, waiting for the nausea to completely recede before he began to organize the new information in his mind.
"It truly is the language of the gods."
Wayland glanced around the plaza to confirm his position before seeking out a more secluded corner. He took a deep breath and spoke a single word.
"Kaunaz!"
The pronunciation was entirely different from modern English, far more guttural and difficult to articulate. Yet, as the word left his lips, it carried an undeniable weight of authority, echoing like the sacred chime of a cathedral bell or the silent, resonant call of a blue whale in the deep ocean.
It was solemn, ancient, and profound.
With a slight movement of his fingers, the Spear-Cage's Mental Image activated. His Magic Circuits flared, flowing ten times faster than usual. Wayland felt as if he'd traded a bicycle for a high-performance motorcycle; his internal capacity was suddenly pushed to its absolute limit.
At the moment it reached its breaking point, a cold, blindingly white light erupted.
Wayland's expression shifted. The display was far too conspicuous.
"Irigal!"
["On it."] Irigal waved a hand, and the expanding white light immediately deflated like a punctured tire.
"Incredible!"
Wayland carefully felt the traces left by the fading light.
'Cause rank? No... Pride rank. The power of a Level 4 spell. The only drawback is that my prana isn't nearly enough to sustain it. A single activation, and I'm completely drained.'
Wayland had no reason to complain. He was only at the Frame rank; while some Frame-rank magi could use Level 3 or 4 spells, they almost always required extensive ritual materials and catalysts. For him to achieve it using only his own prana and a single-syllable incantation was testament enough to the power of Age of Gods magecraft. In a way, he'd acquired a localized version of High-Speed Divine Words--a perfect trump card for a critical moment.
Furthermore, this Primordial Rune wasn't as simple as it appeared.
Kaunaz was the sixth character in the Elder Futhark sequence. Its primary meaning was "Light," but it possessed a deeper conceptual layer: the "Light of Knowledge."
'Knowledge is power, indeed.'
Wayland gathered his remaining prana once more. The white light surged through his bloodstream, passing through his heart before reaching his mind.
There was a soft, internal thrum.
In that instant, his thoughts became clearer than they had ever been.
It was as if he'd activated a literal "Intelligence Aura." The sensation was as refreshing as eating a popsicle in the middle of a sweltering summer.
Even if it only lasted as long as his meager prana allowed.
["Congratulations to Master for acquiring your first Primordial Rune. As a result, the second stage of the Main Quest has been unlocked. Please review."]
[Main Quest Phase 2: Collect All Primordial Runes.]
[Quest Description: Runes, also known as Runic characters, originate from Germanic mythology. The original meaning of the word is 'mystery' or 'secret'. There are eighteen primary characters whose combinations and arrangements form the vast and powerful system of Age of Gods Runic Magecraft. Master is tasked with completing eighteen branch quests to collect all Primordial Runes and master the Age of Gods Runic system.]
[Quest Reward: Activation of Divine Authority.]
[Quest Progress: 1/18.]
"Divine Authority?" Wayland stared at the words, his mind racing with possibilities.
["As the name implies, it is the power of the gods. In every mythology, each deity possesses their own specific authority. In Norse mythology, for example, Odin is the King of Gods, and his authorities are numerous, though mainly focused on Wisdom and Memory. Frigg is the goddess of love; Thor is the god of thunder and war; and Loki's authority lies in deception, fire, and wisdom."]
"I assume this reward doesn't mean I'm actually going to become a god and possess those authorities myself?"
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]